17-year-old Vitesse midfielder Michael Dokunmu, has spoken of his choice to play for South Africa instead of Nigeria, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
He chose to play for South Africa despite having a Nigerian father and has since been listed in the Amajimbos squad for the 2023 U-17 AFCON which gets underway in Algeria on April 29.
Asked of his choice for South Africa, Dokunmu said "I chose South Africa because it’s my birth place. I am more comfortable playing for my birth place and because I really love South Africa."
“It was one of my dreams, one of my goals to get called up to the national team and from here, the U-17 team and then gradually going on to make my debut for the national first team,” he added.
The lad plays for Vitesse U/18 and last year signed a contract till 2025 after impressing for the U16 where he scored 8 goals in the 2021/2022 season.
Micheal is a son of a Nigerian father and a South African mother, Dokunmu was born in April 2006 in Kimberley. At an early age he moved to Johannesburg, where he grew and developed his talent at four clubs (Little Kickers, Old Parks, Randburg FC and SuperSport United).
He and his family moved to the Netherlands in 2019.
By Uche Dozie